adj.
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English efen; akin to Old High German eban even
Date: before 12th century
1 a : having a horizontal surface : FLAT < even ground> b : being without break, indentation, or irregularity : SMOOTH c : being in the same plane or line
2 a : free from variation : UNIFORM <his disposition was even > b : LEVEL 4
3 a : EQUAL , FAIR <an even exchange> b (1) : leaving nothing due on either side : SQUARE <we will not be even until you repay my visit> (2) : fully revenged c : being in equilibrium : BALANCED specifically : showing neither profit nor loss d obsolete : CANDID
4 a : being any of the integers (as -2, 0, and +2) that are exactly divisible by two b : marked by an even number c : being a mathematical function such that f(x) = f(-x) where the value remains unchanged if the sign of the independent variable is reversed
5 : EXACT , PRECISE <an even dollar>
6 : as likely as not : FIFTY-FIFTY <an even chance of winning>
synonyms see LEVEL , STEADY
– even · ly adverb
– even · ness \ -v ə n-n ə s \ noun
– on an even keel also on even keel : in a sound or stable condition